


Caught

by Not__Misha__Collins



Series: Harry Potter One-shots [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bullying, Fluff, Friendship, Hogwarts Fourth Year, Homophobia, M/M, Not Canon Compliant - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Ron Weasley-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-08 19:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15936395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not__Misha__Collins/pseuds/Not__Misha__Collins
Summary: ‘Harry Potter’s New Love Interest?’ the new Daily Prophet headline featured a picture of Ron’s face, ‘By Rita Skeeter.’“What did you tell her?” Ron demanded.“Nothing,” Harry defended, “I don’t know how she…”He stopped. The whole of the Great Hall seemed to be staring at them.





	Caught

“Ron, I’m not mad at you anymore,” Harry said.

“Aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Good,” Ron said, “Because I can’t stand you hating me.”

“I didn’t…”

“Fighting with you is miserable,” Ron continued, “I just…want us to be okay again.”

Harry took Ron’s hand.

“It was a stupid fight,” Harry said, “Ron, I love you.”

…

‘Harry Potter’s New Love Interest?’ the new Daily Prophet headline featured a picture of Ron’s face, ‘By Rita Skeeter.’

“What did you tell her?” Ron demanded.

“Nothing,” Harry defended, “I don’t know how she…”

He stopped. The whole of the Great Hall seemed to be staring at them.

“Is it true, Ronnie-kins?” Fred, who sat next to them, asked.

Ron ignored him.

“Come on, you can tell us,” George said.

“Screw off,” Ron said.

They’d kept their budding relationship secret for months and everything was fine. Now, because of one stupid article, it was all out in the open. Ron didn’t know what to do.

…

“Weasel!” Draco called as he entered the bathroom.

Ron glared at him as he quickly wiped his tears.

“How did I know I’d find you in here?” Draco mocked, “Are you really shagging Potter?”

“None of your fucking business, Malfoy!”

Draco shoved Ron violently, which made the ginger faceplant into the sink.

“What the hell?” Ron demanded as he felt blood seep from his forehead.

“I knew you were a blood traitor, but I didn’t take you to be a degenerate.”

“What?”

Ron flinched away when Draco tried to grab him.

“Step away from our brother, Malfoy!” George demanded as he and Fred charged in.

Draco glared defiantly at them.

“You’re brother’s a…”

“Don’t. Call him. That.” Fred snarled.

“Get the hell out of here,” George said, “Before we do something we’ll regret.”

The twins raised their wands threateningly and Draco stormed off.

“Ron?” Fred ran to his younger brother.

Ron stood up, hand still covering his forehead. George grabbed a bunch of toilet paper and shoved it against the younger brother’s head.

“What happened?” George asked, “You just ran off after lunch.”

“I was upset,” Ron said, “I never thought it would get out. I could feel everyone watching us in the hall, so I…went off to the bathroom. Malfoy must have followed me.”

“Yeah, we saw him,” Fred said.

“So we followed him to see what he was up to,” George continued.

“He evaded us for a while.”

“But here we are,” Fred finished, “You okay, little brother?”

“What did Draco call me? A degenerate?” Ron asked, “What does it mean?”

George sighed.

“Pureblood hatred doesn’t stop at muggleborns,” George explained, “They consider being…the proper term is ‘gay,’ to be…wrong.”

“They consider it worse than being muggleborn,” Fred added.

“Is everyone going to react like this?” Ron worried, “I’m scared.”

“We have your back,” George said, checking if Ron’s wound was still bleeding, which it wasn’t.

“Let’s go to Madam…” Fred started.

“No!” Ron interrupted, “I’m fine. Just take me back to the Gryffindor hall.”

“You sure?” Fred asked.

“Yeah. It’s not bleeding anymore.”

“At least come to our dorm and let us clean it up,” George said.

“Okay,” Ron agreed.

…

Ron winced as Harry gently touched his forehead bandage.

“You think it’s because of the article?” Neville asked.

“Not a coincidence,” Fred answered.

“We have to get back at him,” George said.

“Don’t do that,” Ron said, “I don’t want this to be a ‘thing.’”

“It already is a ‘thing,’” Harry said.

“So, you ARE together?” Neville asked, then noticed the glares, “I’m not judging. I think it’s great. Just…other people don’t think so.”

“We have your back,” Fred assured Ron, “We all do.”

…

Fred and George had given Ron a cream to cover his scab and help it heal faster. The young Weasley refused to be seen with Harry in the halls and in classes.

“Do you take it in the mouth or in the ass, Weasley?” someone taunted in the hallway.

Ron scowled as he turned red. The two of them hadn’t even had sex yet **. Calm yourself, Ron. They’re just trying to get to you.**

“Does Potter make you his bitch?”

He wished he couldn’t hear their taunts. **If this was just one day, how would he make it through the week, let alone the year?**

“You okay, Ronnie-kins?” George called.

“Fine,” Ron answered.

“Think he shags his brother, too?” someone else whispered.

“Ignore them,” George said, then shouted in that person’s direction, “They’re just ignorant!”

…

By the end of the week, Ron had cut off contact with the twins, Hermione, and Ginny. He even stopped having physical contact with Harry in private.

“Ron, you have to stop this,” Harry said, “You can’t let what they’re saying get to you.”

“GET to me?” Ron yelled, “They think I’m shagging my own brother! Someone even accused me of having sex with animals.”

“You think they haven’t said the same to me?”

“What if this IS wrong?” Ron asked, “What if I really am degenerate?”

“Who said that to you?”

“Malfoy,” Ron pointed to his scab.

“And you believe him?”

“I don’t know what to believe.”

“Have you asked your parents?”

“I don’t know what they’ll say.”

“Tell them what’s happened,” Harry said.

“What if…what if they say the same?”

“They won’t.”

“How can you know?”

“I don’t,” Harry answered, “But you have to try.”

…

Ron penned his letter.

_Mom and Dad,_

_What you may have read in the Daily Prophet is true. Harry and I have been in a relationship for a few months. I’m sorry I haven’t told you, but I was scared. Except, now the whole school knows. Some of the students call me names like ‘degenerate’ and accuse me of things like incest. Harry told me to write you. Please don’t be too angry._

_Your son,_

_Ron._

He would get a howler for sure.

…

Ron had nightmares. His parents rejecting him, completely disowning him, saying he’s not allowed to come home or associate with the rest of the family.

“Did you hear back from the rest of them?” Harry asked.

“No,” Ron answered, “It’s worrying me. Fred and George got something yesterday.”

“They’ll write.”

“Sure.”

…

Sure enough, Ron got a letter the next weekend.

_Ronald,_

_You shouldn’t use that word, it’s terrible and it does not describe you. And please don’t think we’re angry with you. Your father and I are proud to have a son like you, no matter who you prefer. Harry is a wonderful boy and we want you to be happy. Don’t believe the awful things these kids say to you. You are a normal, healthy young man who just so happens to be gay. This doesn’t make you a bad person, nor does it change how we see you. We love you._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad._

Ron folded the letter, then began to cry.

“What is it?” Harry asked.

Ron handed him the letter and Harry read it.

“This is good, isn’t it?”

“I was so worried,” Ron sniffled, “That they’d disown me, or…But…they accept me.”

Harry hugged him.

…

“Ah, it’s the Weasel again,” Draco mocked.

“Better watch your back, Malfoy,” Ron said.

“Was that a threat?”

“More like a statement,” George appeared beside Draco then patted his shoulder which caused him to scowl and step away, “You know, Malfoy, they say those who hate gay people the most are actually secretly gay themselves.”

“Screw off,” Draco scowled and walked away.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” George said.

“Is that true, what you told him?”

“It’s what Mum and Dad said. They told us to look out for you, knew you were getting picked on.”

“What did you do to him?” Ron asked curiously.

“Oh, just slipped a little something into his bag.”

Ron peered at him.

“Sparks will fly, Ron.”

“You didn’t!”

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” George said, “The mini-fireworks will wear off around dinnertime.”

Ron snickered.

…

Some people seemed to avoid him in the halls and classes, and even during meals in the Great Hall. Physically avoid him, like he had some kind of disease.

“Will you stop?” It was Neville who had spoken up during lunch, “He’s not sick, so you can stop acting like he’s contagious!”

“He shouldn’t be allowed in the boy’s quarters,” a Gryffindor spoke.

“And why not?” Neville defended, “Has Ron EVER acted inappropriately toward any of you?”

Everyone was silent. Ron had gone completely red and was hiding his face.

“Exactly,” Neville said, “Ron’s not a pervert and chances are, he’s not even attracted to you. So you can treating him like he’s so different.”

Starting with Fred and George, a small bout of applause erupted from those who were close enough to hear Neville’s speech.

“Thank you, Neville,” Ron mumbled.

Neville nodded, looking slightly terrified.

…

Ron should have known he and Harry would get called to the headmaster’s office eventually.

“You’re going to kick me out of the boy’s quarters, aren’t you?” Ron asked.

“Of course not,” Dumbledore spoke, “I do, however, expect you boys to follow similar rules as with boys and girls such as not sharing beds and not being out after curfew.”

“Yes, sir,” Harry and Ron answered.

“If I hear of anything beyond hand holding from you two, you’ll be placed in separate dorms.”

“Yes, sir,” they answered again.

“Excellent,” Dumbledore continued, “I heard of Neville’s speech the other day.”

“He was defending me, sir,” Ron defended.

“I see,” Dumbledore said, “I will award twenty points to Gryffindor for his act of kindness and loyalty. As for you two, you are not the first students to have interest in the same sex. Many students have confided in me over the years, even before their families were made aware, and I’ve kept what they’ve considered a shameful or dark secret.”

“I’m proud to be dating Ron,” Harry announced.

“That’s good, Harry,” the headmaster spoke, “And, Ron?”

“I’m still scared,” Ron answered, “But…at least I have…support.”

…

The initial bullying subsided over the next few months. People stopped ignoring Ron, for the most part, and teasing was deterred for fear of bringing on the wrath of Fred and George.

…

“Harry, do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?” Ron asked.

“Of course, I do,” Harry answered, “But are we allowed to?”

Ron shrugged.

“Everyone already knows about us,” Ron answered, “So I doubt they’d object.”

“You’re right,” Harry said, “You’ll be my date, then.”

…

Harry and Ron danced at the Ball to the sound of a few snickers, but they stopped after the dance floor became crowded.

“I hate dancing,” Ron admitted.

“Me too,” Harry agreed.

“You wanna just…walk around?”

“Yeah.”

…

“How goes it, little brother?” George asked.

“Better,” Ron answered.

“Ready to go underwater?” Fred asked.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t drown,” George joked.

“You haven’t bet on me drowning, have you?” Ron teased.

“Course not,” Fred answered.

“Never.”

…

Harry told Ron the story about Dobby and the gillyweed, and how Ron was the person he’d miss the most.

“You are not calling me Wheezy,” Ron said.

“I think it’s cute,” Harry teased, “My Wheezy.”

“Shut up,” Ron smiled.

Harry threw his arms around Ron.

“I love you, Harry,” Ron said, “And I don’t care who hears it anymore.”

“I’m proud of you, Ron. I know these last months have been hard on you.”

“Yeah. It’s gotten better.”

“Good,” Harry caressed Ron’s face, “I love you, too.”


End file.
